The dated saying goes, “Behind every great man there’s a great woman.” Well, a similar observation could be applied to the world of sound production. Behind every great band, there’s a great sound technician.
Whether the magic is happening in the studio, or on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, those who have their hands on the mixing board are the ones with the power. Small tweaks on multiple channels can affect the volume, high-end, the bass… and how well the musicians and vocalists can hear each other through monitors. The skills of a sound technician and good producer can make all the difference between a decent performance and a knockout one.
Getting into this career takes a love of music and a great ear. It’s like being a sommelier of sound. A good way to see if this is the path for you, is to dive into YouTube videos. Yes, there are lots of free tutorials online to give you a sense of how mixing boards work and the basic concept behind them.
Should your interest be peaked after that, look at interning with a local company, attending a school that offers audio production as a course, or both.
The earlier days of Cayman saw a few pioneers with home studio setups, and the legendary Charles ‘Greggie’ Gregory with his professional venture situated off Eastern Ave. It was fairly nondescript on the outside, but inside housed an impressive array of equipment and eggshell soundproofing on the walls. That was the start of Hopscotch Productions which still operates today in a larger location, run by Greggie’s son, Javee.
Hopscotch offers recording studio services, as well as staging and sound for events and large-scale concerts. AI Rentals and Sound Solutions are also in the sound production and staging business, with Ironshore Studios – recently opened in George Town – running a top-of-the-line recording studio.
There is more demand than ever for Caymanians to get into this line of work, particularly as such skills can also be applied to movie sets and film productions. It can mean long hours at times, but no two days are the same and there are some truly magic moments to be had. Become great at what you do, and the money can be seriously worth it too.
Howie Tipton, who has been in the business for more years than he cares to admit, has seen and heard it all – and still loves what he does.
“It isn’t just a technical job – it can be a physically challenging one as well when you’re working big events… You’ll be going for hours at a time,” Tipton says. “But, when you hear the music from a worldclass act sounding extraordinary, and you see a crowd jumping in unison to the beat, there’s no feeling like it in the world.
“It’s like having a permanent backstage pass.”
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